Matches to Make After UFC 212

Max
Holloway became the third undisputed featherweight titleholder
in Ultimate Fighting Championship history, as he disposed of Aldo
with punches in the third round of their UFC
212 main event on Saturday at Jeunesse Arena in Rio de Janeiro.
Holloway drew the curtain 4:13 into Round 3, as he took his place
on the throne at 145 pounds.

Aldo fought well in spurts: According to preliminary FightMetric
data, he outlanded the Hawaiian in each of the first two rounds,
19-12 in the first and 29-28 in the second. However, he holstered
one of his most trusted and devastating weapons, the 30-year-old
Nova Uniao standout throwing only one leg kick across more than 14
minutes of combat. Holloway decked him with a two-punch combination
in the third round, climbed into top position and cut loose with
ground-and-pound -- he paused briefly for an attempt at a
rear-naked choke -- until referee John McCarthy intervened.

In the aftermath of UFC 212 “Aldo vs. Holloway,” here are five
matches that ought to be made:

Max
Holloway vs. Frankie
Edgar: Holloway has rattled off 11 consecutive victories, and
at just 25 years of age, he has positioned himself for a historic
reign at 145 pounds. He has already built an impressive resume,
with wins over Aldo, Anthony
Pettis, Ricardo
Lamas, Jeremy
Stephens, Charles
Oliveira and Cub Swanson.
That Holloway figures to improve over the next three to five years
should send a cold shiver down the spine of the rest of the
featherweight division. Time will tell whether or not he can become
a transcendent champion, but all the ingredients appear to be in
place. Edgar last appeared at UFC 211 on May 13, when he
annihilated Yair
Rodriguez and forced a stoppage in between the second and third
rounds at the American Airlines Center in Dallas.

Claudia
Gadelha vs. Jessica
Andrade: In perhaps her finest performance to date, Gadelha
laid out her case for another title shot at 115 pounds by
submitting Karolina
Kowalkiewicz with a first-round rear-naked choke in the
co-headliner. Kowalkiewicz, who had never before been finished,
lasted just 3:03. Despite her effort, Gadelha finds herself in an
unenviable position behind Joanna
Jedrzejczyk: the clear-cut second fiddle in a division where
she has already lost twice to the champion. The fact that
Jedrzejczyk appears to be ticketed for a showdown with Rose
Namajunas sometime this year further clouds the Brazilian’s
immediate future. Andrade last fought at UFC 211, where she lost a
unanimous decision to Jedrzejczyk and failed to unseat the Polish
powerhouse.

Vitor
Belfort vs. Anderson
Silva: Belfort pulled the right strings at the right time and
recorded his first win since November 2015, as the 40-year-old
Brazilian captured a unanimous decision from Nate
Marquardt in a competitive middleweight showcase. While his
best days have long since passed, “The Phenom” had enough in the
tank to turn away a spirited showing from Marquardt. Afterward,
Belfort pumped the brakes on talk of a possible retirement and
vowed to fight on despite his advancing age and considerable
mileage on the odometer. Silva snapped a two-fight losing streak at
UFC 208 on Feb. 11, when he wound up on the right side of a
unanimous verdict against Derek
Brunson.

Raphael
Assuncao vs. Jimmie
Rivera-Thomas
Almeida winner: Former World Series of Fighting champion
Marlon
Moraes arrived on the UFC scene with plenty of hype and even
more momentum, only to have one of the organization’s more
underappreciated competitors spoil his Octagon debut. Assuncao
improved to 9-1 -- only T.J.
Dillashaw has beaten him -- over his past 10 appearances and
halted Moraes’ 13-fight winning streak, as he eked out a
contentious split decision on the undercard. All three rounds were
closely contested. Assuncao may not wow the masses with
otherworldly physical tools, but no one can deny the results.
Rivera and Almeida on July 25 will duke it out at Nassau Veterans
Memorial Coliseum in Uniondale, New York, where they are scheduled
to lock horns at
UFC on Fox 25.

Paulo
Henrique Costa vs. Derek
Brunson-Daniel
Kelly winner: Now 10-0 with 10 finishes, Costa has the look of
a potential contender in the middleweight division. The undefeated
former Jungle Fight champion wiped out Oluwale
Bamgbose with punches in the second round of their clash and
continued his climb at 185 pounds. It marked the first time Costa
had fought beyond the five-minute mark. The 26-year-old Brazilian
had no issues. Brunson will take on Kelly at
UFC Fight Night 110 “Hunt vs. Lewis” on June 10 in Auckland,
New Zealand.